The siege of Budapest – Photo Gallery

The city of Budapest surrendered to the Soviet troops on this exact day 73 years ago, putting an end to the long siege of the Hungarian capital during the Second World War, reports Funzine.hu. Budapest was set free from the power of the Germans and got under the power of the Soviet Union.

In 1944, near the end of the Second World War, the city of Budapest was being defended by German troops when the Red Army arrived (together with the Romanian army) who encircled the Hungarian capital and began its siege. The siege of Budapest officially started on 25 December 1944, but the first Soviet troop actually arrived on 3 November 1944. As the civil population of Budapest was never evicted, approximately 38,000 civilians died through starvation or military action during the siege. The city unconditionally surrendered on 13 February 1945, which was a strategic victory for the Allies.

The siege of Budapest was among the five most important and most brutal sieges of the Second World War.

The following photos demonstrate what happened to the city during the siege. The images also illustrate the terrible destruction of the city’s most famous sights that tourists love up to this day, such as the Chain Bridge. All of the photos are from Fortepan.